Thursday, November 12, 2009

Casual Listening - Asobi Seksu, Wale, Silk Road Ensemble

Casual Listening

a review of cool new music

by Jeff Pinzino

November 13, 2009

* Asobi Seksu – Rewolf (rock)

Like strolling across a meadow made of clouds, this is dream pop with a heavy emphasis on the dream.Xylophone, flute, toy piano, soprano vocals with heavy reverb, and anything else that weights the sound toward treble.A beautiful, fragile sound.

Even without founder Yo-Yo Ma, this is a formidable ensemble.With pan-Asian instrumentation including koto, er-hu, sheng, and tabla alongside orchestral strings, Silk Road is redefining the classical tradition to include east and west, ancient and contemporary.Four major pieces each present a different vantage point on this unexplored, challenging terrain.

Contemporary classical music that still passes the coolness test.Layering of single instruments and repetition characterize the sound.The opening is a jaw-dropper – I guarantee you’ve never heard bagpipes quite like this.